December, 2024
FurniSure
Product Design
UIUX Design
A secured second-hand furniture marketplace and delivery service that empowers New Yorkers.
Team member: Veer Vohra, Monica Chen, Yuling Zhou, Jinnan Zhu
My Role
As the UI/UX Designer, my role involved working closely with the team to conduct background research, interviews, prototyping, mapping the user journey, and analyzing data. We collaborated on all aspects of design, ensuring a user-centered approach. Our team held weekly meetings to align on goals, share insights, and refine the design process.
Problem Statement
Who: Young people aging from 18 to 34 who live in rental apartments and move frequently.
Problem: Many New Yorkers discard used furnitures or buy new ones instead of recycling due to trust concerns (quality and safety), leading to blocked sidewalks, wasted money and high carbon footprint.
Opportunity: Develop a trusted and safe platform that encourages New Yorkers to buy and sell used furniture instead of constantly discarding used furniture and buying new furniture.
The Challenge
The challenge of this project is to improve the experience of New Yorkers by addressing their need for affordable, quality-assured furniture solutions, while overcoming trust concerns, high transport costs, and the inconvenience of moving.
The platform aims to address quality, safety, delivery and pickup issues and provides an eco-friendly and cost-effective solution for residents facing frequent moves and limited space.
Target Customer & Segments
The Stakeholder Ecosystem
NYC Residents: FurniSure provides residents with a way to reduce waste, get high quality second hand furniture, all while ensuring secure payments and providing affordable delivery.
NYC Governments: FurniSure helps the government deal with the ever-growing waste problem in NYC.
The Environment: FurniSure helps ease the burden on landfills by reducing furniture waste.
Insights Into Customers And Stakeholders
Feel a Lack of Trust
Those using online platforms, e.g. Facebook Marketplace, also feel a lack of trust between buyers and sellers due to scammers.
Desire to Save Money
Those using online platforms, e.g. Facebook Marketplace, also feel a lack of trust between buyers and sellers due to scammers.
Face Delivery Issues
Those using online platforms, e.g. Facebook Marketplace, also feel a lack of trust between buyers and sellers due to scammers.
Unwilling to Throw used Furniture
Those using online platforms, e.g. Facebook Marketplace, also feel a lack of trust between buyers and sellers due to scammers.
Ideations
To address quality, safety, pickup and delivery issues, we came up with three ideations.
Evaluation and Choice
To find the best solution, we prototyped each idea, tested them with users, and evaluated the results.
Idea 1: Exclusive Online Female Network
Idea 2: Local Verified Community
Idea 3: Mobile Furniture Renewal & Delivery Service
Scales
Final Idea and Rationale
-
Customer’s choice: Idea 3 - Mobile Furniture Renewal & Delivery Service
We go forward with this idea because:
-
Highest average rating by potential customers during the evaluations.
-
Quote: “Having someone verified for the quality feels safe”
-
The problem of repair pricing can be avoided by charging a fixed $2 (for example) fee to both buyer and seller on all transactions. This is a small enough charge that customers wouldn’t be deterred but large enough to - in the long run - covers the costs for repairs for the business as not all items need repairs.
Value Provided
Economic
-
Save money through affordable and quality furniture
-
Cost efficiency
-
Income generation
-
Resource optimization
Practical
-
Quality assurance
-
Reliable service
-
Transparent processes
-
Restore local community trust
Social/ Environmental
-
Reduce furniture waste
-
Minimize environmental impact
-
Support circular economy
-
Reduce unnecessary consumer spending and manufacturing demand
-
Promote responsible consumption
Empowering New Yorkers
-
Empowerment: smarter consumption choices
-
Efficiency: streamlined logistics
-
Emotional: stress reduction + effortless delivery
-
Environmental consciousness
Ideal Customer Experience
Seller
Seamless Selling Process
Customers Touchpoints
(After placing an order)
-
Item details submission (photo, video, description)
-
Instant, automatic item quality evaluation and pricing
-
listing
-
Schedule pickup service
-
Guaranteed payment
Buyer
Reliable Buying Process
-
Browse vetted, high-quality listings
-
Select item and view detailed condition reports
-
Place an order
-
Reliable door-to-door delivery
-
Secured transaction
Product Delivery Experience
Technology-driven
-
Mobile/web app interface
-
Instant furniture evaluation algorithms
-
Furniture intelligent pricing system
-
Transparent real-time tracking system
-
Secure payment integration
-
Personalized recommendations
-
Geolocation – Nearby recommendations
AI Quality Control
Delivery Mechanism
End-to-end Delivery
-
Seller Submission [details+photos+videos]
-
AI Evaluation and Pricing
-
[verified] Create a new Listing
-
Buyer place an order
-
Platform on hold the money
-
Door-to-door pickup and delivery
-
Transaction completed -> Seller gets money
Competition
On the other hand, FurniSure has secured payments, two layers of quality control, provides a pickup and delivery service, and does so for minimal cost.
Elevator Pitch
Many young New Yorkers move frequently and struggle with buying, selling, or disposing of furniture due to trust issues, high transport costs, and the effort required. New Yorkers move more frequently than other cities and usually shorter distances. Moreover, New York has a high disposal cost and outdated infrastructure, making it hard to move furniture items. Our platform provides hassle-free pickups for sellers and quality-assured, refurbished furniture delivered to buyers all while ensuring none of our customers get scammed along the way. It makes furniture shopping more affordable, eco-friendly, effortless, and stress-free.
Prototype
Main Features
AI-Driven Quality Assurance
-
Sellers upload images; AI analyzes defects, material, and condition.
-
Accurate pricing suggestions and detailed, verified reports for buyers.
​
Secure Transactions & Workflow
-
Full in-app tracking: Listing → Sale → Pick-Up → Delivery → Re-Assessment.
-
Payments are held until order completion.Buyers confirm the condition upon delivery before making the final payment.
​
Convenient Door-to-Door Delivery
-
Professional movers handle logistics with an affordable flat fee.
-
Real-time delivery tracking ensures transparency.
Video Prototype
Business Model Canvas
How does FurniSure work?
AI Furniture Inspection
-
AI image recognition
-
Automated condition assessment
-
Defect identification
-
Price recommendations
-
Quality report
Secure Transactions
-
Money on hold until buyer confirms.
-
It is only taken from the buyer and given to the seller once the transaction has been completed and confirmed by the delivery men.
-
In-house system.
Customer Support Network
-
AI assistance for issue resolution.
-
Buyer-Seller communication space
-
Fast, reliable order monitoring.
​
​
Trusted Delivery Network
-
Verified delivery partners, GPS tracking.
-
Transparent, secure logistics.
​
​
​​​
Technology for Further Advancement
Advanced AI for Quality and Pricing
Enhance AI to assess furniture quality using durability, market demand, and environmental impact data for competitive pricing, and develop optimized pricing based on resale trends.
Smart Logistics and Delivery Optimization
Implement AI-powered route optimization and smart tags to enhance delivery speed, transparency, and environmental efficiency.
Personalization Through Machine Learning
Leverage machine learning for personalized recommendations and predictive buyer-seller matchmaking to enhance user satisfaction.
Immersive User Experience with AR/VR
Utilize AR for furniture visualization and virtual showrooms to enhance decision-making, engagement, and convenience.